A well-executed thriller that doesn't rise to the level of a film like the flawless MEMORIES OF MURDER, but is extremely suspenseful and entertaining nonetheless. It certainly gets points for trying.
A clear evisceration of Police incompetence and to a lesser extent, the sex-trade, CHASER makes nary a misstep right up until the final quarter, when coincidence and melodrama, heretofore tightly controlled, seem to slip out of hand. I cannot convey how much i hate it every time this happens.
It is Yun-Seok Kim's kinetic lead performance that anchors this movie. His moral crisis is palpable and his desperation is entirely believable. The audience feels just as helpless as he does, and as time continues to run out, the suspense is masterfully maintained. The film's attempts at addressing some big ideas are commendable and mostly it succeeds, but the overly sentimental and improbable final series of events just squanders some well-earned authenticity (the unnecessary single-frame inserts of the recently deceased girl and her daughter are a case in point).
One other constantly niggling nitpick is the colossal level of physical violence the characters seem to be able to absorb. This becomes altogether absurd during the final showdown.
CHASER just barely misses an 8/10 in my book, but is still recommended to fans of the genre.
A clear evisceration of Police incompetence and to a lesser extent, the sex-trade, CHASER makes nary a misstep right up until the final quarter, when coincidence and melodrama, heretofore tightly controlled, seem to slip out of hand. I cannot convey how much i hate it every time this happens.
It is Yun-Seok Kim's kinetic lead performance that anchors this movie. His moral crisis is palpable and his desperation is entirely believable. The audience feels just as helpless as he does, and as time continues to run out, the suspense is masterfully maintained. The film's attempts at addressing some big ideas are commendable and mostly it succeeds, but the overly sentimental and improbable final series of events just squanders some well-earned authenticity (the unnecessary single-frame inserts of the recently deceased girl and her daughter are a case in point).
One other constantly niggling nitpick is the colossal level of physical violence the characters seem to be able to absorb. This becomes altogether absurd during the final showdown.
CHASER just barely misses an 8/10 in my book, but is still recommended to fans of the genre.